Transient Memory
by Kitten Luberia
Summary: Due to some strange malfunction with the training gate, all members of Team MÄR seemed to have been sent into Tokyo, wearing memory-altering piercings. It was up to Ginta and Babbo to bring them back. After quickly reviving Jack and Nanashi, they now had a big problem; the thief's best friend, Kitten; who was also his most recent ex; was going to put them in a very bad situation!


_It was strange, how this all came about._

_After having finished the sixth round of battles in the War Games, Team MÄR was given several days off before they'd have to start up the final battle. Gaira had decided to use this time wisely, and sent every member of the team into the Training Gate, for his last time ever being able to assist their growth._

_Jack, who had already been in another dimension this entire time, had seen some strange shadow during his training, before he then lost his own conscience._

_When Ginta arrived, it seemed as though both he and Babbo had been sent straight into his own world, somehow! With a little investigating, thanks to Koyuki's help, the blond was able to realize that all his friends had been wearing some strange memory-altering piercing, which removed their real memories and implanted a whole new one into their mind. So far, Ginta had knocked sense back into Jack; who was acting as a bodyguard for students beaten up by Ginta after trying to mess with Koyuki; and Nanashi; who apparently lost his memory, was found by members of a motorcycle gang, and suddenly made their boss!_

_That was two down, yet they still had many more to go._

* * *

"We still haven't figured out what happened to the others," Started Ginta with a sigh, his arms crossed behind his head. "I wonder how we'll find them?"

Babbo was bouncing up and down beside him, as the young boy had been leading Nanashi and Jack down the streets of Tokyo; the city of Japan in which he lived; hoping to find some hints as to where the rest of their team was. If these three boys were here, the rest of their group had to be somewhere nearby. The first two rescues had been rather convenient, as one situation unfolded right after the other. But to the young blond, it felt as though it would only get more difficult from here, on.

"Beats me," Shrugged the monkey, seeming defeated already. "Who knows what could've happened to them?"

"Well, no matter what, I just hope we can find Dorothy, Alan, and Alviss soon!" Ginta replied, lowering his arms to his sides.

"Don't forget someone else," Grinned Nanashi, holding his right index finger up, as if correcting the younger male. "Kitten also came with us, this time."

As if on cue, she made her appearance right then.

Flinching in surprise, three pairs of eyes widened as the glass windows of a convenience store right in front of the boys broke with a loud, ear-piercing shattering sound, a small young blonde then tumbling out and hopping to her feet as though nothing had happened. She quickly picked up what she had dropped, her arms wrapped around more snacks than she could carry, and made her way down the street, heading right for her friends; however, she didn't recognize them anymore. Bumping shoulders with Nanashi as she ran by, the girl just barely made eye-contact with the thief; though he did catch sight of a small blue stud on her right ear; before she turned the corner and went straight down the road in which the boys had just come from.

"What was that all about?" Jack huffed, as he was not entirely understanding the seriousness of the situation they'd just been put in. He crossed his arms against his chest quite tightly, as if to express his annoyance at how rude she had acted.

Something caught Ginta's attention at that moment, and it seemed as if his very life was almost over. He reached out to grab a poster taped to the side of the building they stopped in front of, his hand shaking faintly as he then turned to hold it out in front of him, for the other two boys to read.

"We're in trouble."

Jack relaxed just a little, oddly calm after what he'd seen. He lifted one hand to his chin, subconsciously rubbing it, as if in thought. Taking one more close look at the paper, he stood up straight and closed his eyes.

"I knew she had some issues," He returned his right arm back to its previous position, arms once again folded. "But I would never have imagined they'd be this bad!"

Nanashi, who was still staring at the paper, soon grinned, his lips parting slightly as he let out what seemed to be an amused 'heh' sound, as if pleased with what he'd read.

"What's that look for? We've got a serious problem, and you're laughing!"

Ginta was greatly upset; since, in his hand, he held a wanted poster for Nanashi's ex-girlfriend, and best friend, Kitten. She was also a thief back in MÄR Heaven, sure; but that, of course, was a lot less dangerous than having been one in the real world. They were messing with the law, now.

"Nothin'," Answered the taller blond male, waving his hand as if trying to brush the other's anger aside. "Just feelin' a little proud of her stealing skills, is all. That a problem?" He had yet to wipe the grin off his face, as it almost seemed permanent.

"She could end up in jail!" Snapped the team's captain, who was stomping and flailing about in frustration. "Of course there's a problem!"

"Jail, eh? Can't ya just, I don't know, pay the bail?" Asked Nanashi, treating this matter a little too lightly.

Ginta was about to explode. "I don't have that kind of money!"

"What about breaking her out, then?" Suggested Jack.

"Do you wanna end up in jail, too?" Ginta growled, as he had enough.

"It seems this has become quite a difficult situation." Babbo mused.

At this point, it seemed that the only option they had was to find Kitten again, remove the memory-altering piercing, and go back into hiding at Koyuki's place. Although, this wasn't going to happen easily; and even though Jack's and Nanashi's cases were both dealt with in the same day, Kitten's could take even a day or two longer. Now, if they were going to deal with a situation this great, they'd have to be careful not to get caught by the police.

"So," After a few moments of thought, the young blond spoke up again, sliding his hands into the pockets of his khaki pants. "It would be less obvious if we didn't all go after her at once. I think only one of us should follow after Kitten, and the other two of us will wait back at Koyuki's house. If something goes wrong, at least we'll be free to help."

"But who should go?"

Jack gave Ginta a questioning glance, although he didn't even have to ask. The two boys looked at each other, before then lifting their heads to stare up at Nanashi, the obvious choice.

"She's _your _ex." Stated the monkey, while the captain nodded in agreement.

The thief looked down at them and blinked, having a blank expression for merely a moment, before smiling broadly and chuckling, giving the other two boys a thumbs-up and using his trademark statement of, "Leave her to me!" He then turned and ran back down the road they took a few minutes ago, hoping that the girl was still somewhere close by.

As soon as he was out of sight, the two boys sighed and lowered their heads, as if in defeat.

"Is it really alright to leave something this serious up to him?" Asked Jack.

"Now that you mention it, I'm starting to rethink this a bit." Answered Ginta, who then added, "I just hope this'll end well."

* * *

"Wait!" Shouted the thief, whose voice sounded just faintly exhausted.

Nanashi had been chasing the young blonde female through each corridor of the alleys in the city for hours now, as she seemed to know every passageway that could be used for escape routes. He had to admit, he really was proud of her. In all the time they had spent together as thieves from the guild called Luberia, he almost never got to see her in action; so, of course, he always wondered how well she could protect herself, and get away from pursuers, if she ever got caught.

The lanes were getting thinner by this point, and the two could no longer run straight through; in order to proceed now, they would have to turn sideways and slowly walk ahead. But that would give Nanashi the perfect chance to capture Kitten, which made her all the more weary about the situation; she wanted to get away, and fast.

"Wait, I said!"

Nanashi's voice was getting rougher, as he was tired and running out of patience with her. The least he wanted to do was try talking to her, in order to help her regain her own conscience, even if it were only just a little. He didn't want to be running after her all over hell and creation the entire day, and yet he had wasted half of it already by doing just that.

In her attempt to move faster through the slimming alleyways, the blonde collapsed against the building behind her, as it seemed she may have twisted her ankle. In an instant, she had slid down to the ground, her bottom pressed against the dirt floor. She gave a small gasp, and tried to get up, but found it was of no use. However, she still kept her muddy hands braced firmly against the wall, for support.

Having paid more attention to the pain she now felt, she almost forgot she wasn't alone. That is, until a hand much larger than her own, obviously a male's, wrapped around her left wrist. She recognized this person simply by the texture of his skin; which had become a bit tough after all the training and fighting he'd been through already; but also by how he held her; the touch warm, yet gentle; as if after all his struggling to capture her, he still had it in him to control himself and handle her nicely, like she were a delicate flower, and one wrong move would break her. Yes, she remembered this young man just by this simple bit of physical contact, alone; though it was the first time he'd touched her since losing her memories.

With a faint, yet hesitant voice, the girl spoke slowly in recognition, "...Nanashi." Even though she had forgotten about her life in MÄR Heaven, it seemed some things were not just a part of her memory, but fragments of her very soul.

"So you've finally remembered." He gave a small smile and sighed softly in relief; though this wasn't over yet. This was just the beginning, as their journey down memory lane would soon take a drastic turn.

"What do you want?" These words had been spoken rudely, through pouting lips, the expression upon the young girl's face childish and confused, though more annoyed than anything. In her eyes, a mix of emotions had been swirling about, her irises foggy and losing their light.

Blinking, the thief tilted his head ever so slightly, lifting a finger to his chin as he pretended to think it over; an unnecessary gesture. He then looked back down at her, smiling again, but wider; though not quite a grin, just yet.

"For you to come back with me," He stated simply, crouching down beside her to be at about the same height, as she was still sitting on the ground, unable to move from her spot. "Our friends have been looking for you, and the rest of our team for a few days now. We need you."

"Is that so?" She raised an eyebrow, emerald orbs sparking with disbelief, as she gave him an unamused expression. She still had one question left to be spoken, though it seemed as if she already knew the answer wouldn't be a pleasant one. "What am I to you?" She asked calmly, staring up at him with narrowed eyes, as she waited for his reply.

Giving Nanashi such a question was not something usually done, as him answering would be quite a difficult task. Usually, those he stopped seeing would simply fade into the background and become a part of his past that he could easily move on from, as there were always plenty of other girls for him to date. But this girl— she was different, _much different._

Without giving it enough thought, he merely stated, "An ex-girlfriend." He didn't have enough time to explain further than that, since the sirens of police cars were going off nearby; the two had to move, and fast.

Ignoring her complaints of "What're you doing?" and "Put me down!", Nanashi slipped one arm around the middle of her back, the other sliding underneath her knees, as he picked her up and warned her to hold on tight, using his physical abilities normally enhanced in MÄR Heaven to jump straight up, out of the corridor, and atop the lower of the two walls. From there, he easily hopped onto the roof of the next building, and ran across town that way, roof to roof, in attempt to get away from the police.

The young thief was shaking as she gripped onto the creases of his red shirt while he carried her away.

Although their escape felt as if it should've been easy, things were just about to get worse from here, on. They couldn't just keep running from the police every day, as soon enough, they'd end up behind bars. But as things were, Nanashi couldn't quite convince this girl that she was Kitten, his best friend and ex-lover. He needed more time.

* * *

Night soon fell upon the two, shrouding the pair in darkness as the sun went down and the moon came out. It had been a long day of almost nothing but chasing and being chased, and by this point, neither of them had any strength left. As Nanashi was the one exerting the most physical power; what with trying to move faster than this girl in order to catch up, and then carrying her as he jumped from one building to the next, then running all over the city as he looked for a place to hide; he was the most exhausted. Kitten had only run for a short while, being chased by the thief, until she then hurt her ankle; though she was in pain, she still didn't feel as weak or as tired as he did.

"You're out of energy," The blonde commented softly, looking up at the male from his left side, as he was still holding her in his arms. She could see a few stray beads of sweat trickle down his forehead here and there, and noticed the fact that he had started to blink a bit unnaturally, as though his mind was fighting against his body, trying to force his eyes to stay open. "I don't understand. Why are you doing this?"

He glanced down at her for a second, then lifted his head and looked straight in front of him again, as they walked through the dimly lit streets of Tokyo, the city so quiet, it was as if the buildings, themselves, were asleep. Aside from the occasional car passing by, and the soft chirping of crickets in the grass, there was only the sound of Nanashi's footsteps, which were becoming heavier, due to all his exhaustion.

"Because," He started, trying to grin but only managing a half-smile. He let out a very faint grunt, shifting her just a bit so that he could get a better grip on her small body, so as not to drop her. "You're an important person to me, Kit."

That name again. _Was that was she was called; 'Kitten'? Who would have a name like that?_

"I see. So that's really what you felt?"

She closed her eyes with a very small smile, trying to force all of her questions aside, pushing them into the depths of her mind. Though she still couldn't understand why this young man had been working so hard to get close to her, and then to protect her; let alone why he kept referring to her as an infantile feline; somehow, it all seemed familiar. The gestures, the feeling of not wanting to let her get hurt, and the warmth— that almost sickeningly sweet warmth which was emanating as the thief held her close to his body; the kind of warm, comfortable sensation where you feel the most at home; ah, yes— she recognized it all. It was as if, slowly, everything was coming back to her.

Although, she didn't have nearly enough time to reminisce, as the road ahead was just getting bumpier, the intersection in front of them now blocked off at every angle with police cars. The men stepped outside, shining flashlights that gave off a blindingly white glow in the faces of this strange pair, while shouting, "Freeze!"

_Sure, with lights that bright, who could walk any farther?_

Nanashi stopped about ten feet away from the policemen, his eyes squeezing shut to avoid any more chance of losing his ability to see. Kitten shielded her own pair with her left hand, glancing at the men in front of her through narrow vision.

"You're under arrest!"

This was it, the three words they didn't want to hear. From this point, everything happened so quickly, that it would almost be blurred in their memory, later on.

The girl being seized came first, as she was then forced to limp over to one police car by an officer, who pushed her roughly against the hood, ignoring her cry of pain and pulling her arms behind her to bind her wrists with handcuffs. Capturing her was the easiest, as she had not the power to fight back, and couldn't even if she did, due to her injury. The male, however, gave them a bit of a difficult time, attempting muster even a little more strength in order to fight them off, and hope to free Kitten, as well; but it was impossible, now.

* * *

With their minds feeling heavy and hazy, the two awoke the next morning in a jail cell, and looked at each other in despair. They'd gotten into a lot of trouble now, and had no idea just how they'd be able to get themselves out of it.

Nanashi knew there was no time for this, as they still had to find the rest of their team, get back to MÄR Heaven, and fight the final battle of the war; the peace of an entire world was at stake, and the safety of it depended completely on them. They didn't have time to be sitting around, waiting until someone came and bailed them out of jail. Somehow, they had to get out on their own; but first, this infamous girl needed to remember who she really was.

"Kit," The thief got up and moved close to her, crouching down in front of her. He placed his hands atop her shoulders and looked into her sorrowful emerald eyes, which refused to make contact with his serious teal pair. "Kitten!" He tried again, stating her full name and giving her a little shake, to gain her attention.

A couple blinks, and she had stopped spacing out. She lifted her head slightly, just enough that their eyes met, her mouth partially open, as if in surprise, though her expression was completely blank.

"I need you to remember," He said calmly, his grip slowly tightening on her shoulders, in desperation. "About who I am, who you are, what we were..._everything!_"

She shook her head, her eyes closing tightly in refusal. "Why would I want to remember? You said I was your ex! I don't... I don't want to remember someone who made me suffer in the past, no matter how gentle they act towards me now!"

"I don't care— whether you do, or don't want to remember,"

With a frustrated sigh, as if he expected this outcome, the thief realized there was only one other option left, and it had to work. If it didn't, the two were surely doomed. Her choice was not the issue, anymore. If she didn't realize herself soon, then they would be stuck in this awful situation for too long, and the fate of MÄR Heaven would belong to the Chess Pieces. There was no way he'd let that happen.

"I'll make you recall it!"

"What're you going to—"

Unable to finish her sentence, she found herself to be quickly silenced by a sudden gesture, her eyes widening in shock as her mind recognized this sensation; a pair of familiar lips moving forcefully, yet gently against her own. The kiss sent chills down her spine in the same moment that her chest felt like it was on fire and sparks were buzzing up and down her arms, her fingers shaking as her hands stayed pressed against the cold stone floor. Part of her; more than likely her true self; wanted to give in, to return the affection, but knew better. In the end, it seemed both sides to her; the real and the fabricated; agreed on not responding to him, no matter how much they may have wanted to.

As if having understood this, Nanashi pulled away, his movements just a bit slower than needed; like he were teasing, or tempting her to reunite them again; but this time as well, there was no response.

"Why..." She didn't move even a single inch, as if stunned by his actions, and kept her voice low. "Why would you do that?" Her mind was completely confused; she couldn't understand how he could go and kiss someone he had stated was an ex-girlfriend not very long ago.

"I see," He reached out and placed his left palm flat against the right side of her face, keeping it there for a moment before then trailing his thumb gently over her cheek, a small grin spreading along his lips. "You haven't realized it yet?"

Blinking, she seemed to instantly snap out of her bewilderment, looking back up at him with eyes not as wide as before, but enough to express that she was still surprised by what had just happened, and interested in his question, which she then replied to with one of her own.

"Realized what?"

The thief laughed softly, soon wiping the smirk off his face and looking at her with a more normal, softer expression. Though, hidden behind the warmth in his eyes, there seemed to be a trace of pain, of some sort.

"I'm still in love with you."

He watched as her eyes once again lit up with surprise, her pale-peach skin then being tainted with scarlet, as a blush made its way along her face. It seemed to amuse him how easily her expressions would change; yet he found each and every one of them to be cute, in their own way. That was the curse of being in love; an emotional disease which poisoned all your senses and rotted away the part of your brain which decided the difference between what should be liked, and what should not. For, once you truly fell in love, you became completely incapable of hating a single aspect of the person you were entranced by.

"But— I mean, I don't..." Her head felt as though it was spinning now, her mind unable to comprehend anything. All she could do was spout fragments of confused statements, or question the situation.

"I don't understand..." After a moment's thought, she finally calmed herself enough that she could form complete sentences again. "How could you still...have feelings for me?"

"That's easy," The grin returned upon his lips, though his expression remained gentle. "Because I never once stopped loving you." As soon as her blush darkened a little more, he continued on. "You were the one that broke us up, Kit." The broad smile wavered slightly at saying this, but he quickly regained his composure. "Though, I don't believe it was something you entirely wanted to do. At the time, it seemed more as if it were something you _had _to do."

Of course, he was not about to explain just what caused the pair to part; he'd leave that for her to find out on her own, after getting back her real memories. And as he had been explaining what he did, so far, he noticed the little stud piercing begin to spark, the memory-altering ÄRM starting to lose its control over her. This was good; as long as he kept this up, saving her true self should be easy.

"And even though we stopped going out, you never abandoned me." He crossed his arms, the smile on his face becoming a little more satisfied as time went by. "Sure, our relationship was pretty complicated at first, but you didn't let that stop you. You got over it, and we went back to being as close as we were before you confessed,"

He looked at her with only one eye open, his expression suggesting his attempt to hold back a grin at her bright red face, as he emphasized, "—yes, _you _confessed to me."

At having him state it again, and more clearly; as if reading her mind and confirming her surprise; she shut her mouth tightly, eyes still wide, face getting redder by the moment. Nanashi took this as his chance to finish telling the story.

"That's why, I don't want you to forget about this. It's just one small stone along the path of life. Sure, it seemed like the biggest problem we had to face at the time, and both of us did suffer a little, but if it hadn't been for that day, we wouldn't have realized our differences and been able to act as friends again. It's an important part of your memory, and you need it just as much as I do."

The stud on her right ear was sending off a few more sparks than before, a sign that it was about to defuse at any moment; though the more it sparked, the more clouded her mind became, and she looked on the verge of passing out. But losing consciousness for a few minutes was merely a small price that one had to pay in order to get back their real memories.

"Please, Kitten..." He insisted, his voice lowering, as if weighed down by desperation as they were running out of time. "You have to remember."

"...Nanashi." She said his name slowly, hesitantly; in the same tone of which she'd stated it just yesterday.

But that was all she had the ability to say, as she then let out a small shriek when the piercing gave one last spark before it died out, causing her to fall forward; she ended up collapsing against the thief, who caught her before she could hit the ground.

After a moment, the girl stirred just a little, as if about to lift her head, but then deciding to make herself comfortable within the arms of the older male, keeping her face pressed against his chest and emitting a soft, almost purring sound.

He gave a soft chuckle and rubbed her head, whispering to her, "Welcome back."

* * *

"Nanashi hasn't come back yet," Ginta commented, his voice full of boredom as he sat, stretched out, in front of the window with one hand holding his head up, eyes blankly staring at the city below. "What's taking him so long?"

"I wonder if he got caught by the police?" Asked Jack, although hoping it wasn't true. "I mean, it's Kitten that he went after; and in this world, she's become a criminal. Helping her would make him an accomplice."

"They better not be in jail; otherwise, I'm not bailing them out." Sighed the blond. "I told him, I don't have that kind of money."

"Don't forget the second option—" The monkey gave a proud grin and reminded, "They could always break out!"

Ginta turned his head to give Jack the most unamused and thoroughly annoyed glare he'd ever made, before stating, "Babbo version one: Hammer ÄRM!" and bonking the other boy on the head hard enough that a small lump had formed.

* * *

Kitten rubbed her head and stood up; she was feeling a bit dizzy from the transference of memories; but was able to keep herself balanced; even as her ankle was still sore; and took a good look around the room.

With her physical strength in MÄR Heaven, or even with an ÄRM, she could easily tear down the barred doors which kept the two thieves confined. But their escape could not be obvious, so this was not an option. However, her eyes soon fixated on a small barred window a few feet above her, and she snapped her fingers with an excited, "Aha!"

Nanashi, who still sat on the ground, looked up at her in slight surprise.

"I got it. I know how we're getting out!" She smiled widely, and activated her Weapon ÄRM: Metal Claws, which caused the already sharp nails on her right hand to grow nearly three inches longer and become metallic. Then, she pointed to the window she'd noticed just a moment ago, and said, "I'll break those bars and climb out, then wait for you on the other side!"

Standing up, the thief grinned and gave her a thumbs-up. "Sounds like a plan!"

He then watched as she leapt into the air and sliced apart the frame inside the stone wall which held the bars together. It wasn't long before that very frame came tumbling out and landed on the ground outside.

With an exclamation of pride, the girl jumped about, before remembering that time was wasting, and their friends were probably worried about them.

She quickly latched onto the bricks with her one clawed hand, and climbed into the window, sliding through the small opening with ease, and landed on the grass with a soft thump. Then, as soon as she saw Nanashi making his way towards her, she reached out and took his hands, pulling him through the opening, and accidentally losing her footing at the last second, making the two land together on the grass, male on top of female, before Nanashi rolled over and laid beside her.

But they couldn't stay in this serenity for long, as soon enough, someone would realize they had escaped. So the two quickly got up, brushed the dirt and stray pieces of grass off their clothing and out of their hair, before Nanashi demanded that Andata returned them to the apartment in which Ginta's friend, Koyuki, let them stay.

They had hoped to be greeted gently with cries of, "We missed you!" and "Are you okay?", but instead were hounded with complaints.

"Where have you guys been?" Asked Ginta, quite impatient.  
He had stopped in the doorway that separated the living room from the hall, hands on his hips, as he stared up at the two thieves, who still had light patches of dirt and grass stains on the clothes they wore.

"Do you know how long it's been?"

"Sorry, sorry!" Nanashi waved a hand, trying to brush the situation aside. "We ran into a little trouble, is all."

"You got arrested, didn't you?" Jack gave an accusing stare.

Kitten sighed deeply, her arms falling limply to her sides as her head lowered, before she then tackled a nearby pillow on the ground and sighed into it, voice slightly muffled, "I don't want to be placed in a jail cell ever again!" She continued to lay like that on the ground, kicking her legs up and down a bit childishly.

"I suppose the fact that you two are safe is enough," Ginta gave the thief a warm smile, before then whispering, "She _is _back, isn't she?"

Nanashi ran one finger across his lips with a smug grin and nodded. "Oh, she's back, alright."

With the other two boys' confused expressions, you could almost see question marks sprouting around their heads, as they had yet to understand the older male's gesture, which was suggesting his kissing her 'awake'.

* * *

Later in the evening, while the others were enjoying some ramen made by Koyuki, and just generally having a good time, Kitten waved to the thief, telling him to follow her, as she stepped out of the living room and walked into the hallway.

"You wanted to talk?" He asked softly, sitting beside her, against the wall.

She simply nodded, not yet looking up at him, and instead staring at her hands, which she had placed upon her knees. "Nanashi, about what you said earlier..."

He blinked, but said nothing, and waited for her to continue. Though he did notice she seemed a bit shy, or spaced out; she must've given this conversation a lot of thought, but was now having difficulty with continuing it. After taking a bit too long to gather up her thoughts again, he nudged her side slightly, which made her gulp, before she found her voice again.

"—did you mean it?"

Nodding, Nanashi leaned against her shoulder, and whispered close to her, "I meant every word."

This one, simple line alone was enough to create a furious blush that spread across her face faster than a wildfire, but it was all the more intensified by the sensation of his warm breath tickling her ear as he spoke.

"Th-Then," She stuttered, a bit embarrassed with herself, as this side to her personality was usually only seen by him. "I feel the same."

She finished her statement in a small voice, only to then be teased by Nanashi, who sat up straight, cupped one hand around his ear, and said, "What was that? I couldn't hear. Could you speak a little louder?"

Her lips quivered as she bit down onto one of them, the girl mentally questioning herself whether or not she should even bother trying to tell him again. Her right hand had also formed a fist at her side, which was so tight, it began to shake under the pressure of her trying so hard not to slap him.

With a few chuckles, Nanashi shrugged and began to stand up. "Alright, then. I guess it wasn't all that important?"

He was only meaning to tease, knowing that if he did this, surely she would stop him. And he was right. A small, trembling hand grabbed onto the bottom of his shirt, pulling him back down and forcing him to sit beside her again.

"I said..." She began slowly, turning her head and finally looking him in the eye. "I feel the same way. I never once stopped loving you, either." Her eyes searched his, as if trying to find even the smallest hint of surprise at her words; though she realized that all this time, he probably already knew how she'd felt about him.

Without any further hesitation, Kitten firmly placed her right hand on the thief's lap, keeping her left on the floor, as she leaned in closer and returned the gesture, like she had wanted to have done earlier.

* * *

_It was odd, how this had happened._

_How a few ordinary days blurred into ones filled confusion and chaos; and yet, somehow, it all ended with things back as they should've been. Maybe life had strange ways of playing out certain situations, though the outcome would always be the same._

_It made the small girl wonder, did Nanashi already know they would end this way? That she'd be sitting here right now, kissing him so tenderly, as if the two had never once been separated? After all, that was nothing more than a transient memory now._


End file.
